


What Happened in Switzerland

by oversizedmelancholy



Category: DCU, Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Idiots in Love, Pranking, Romance, alfred no, bruce stop that, my kids, selina is really awkward with compliments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-09 15:18:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14718569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oversizedmelancholy/pseuds/oversizedmelancholy
Summary: After Selina's recovery, Bruce takes her with him to Switzerland.SPOILER ALERT- SET AFTER SEASON FOUR -





	1. In the Sky

 

Selina took a deep breath, gripping the leather armrest on the private jet. 

"Is it supposed to make that noise?" she asked Bruce. He turned to her, confused. 

"The plane?"

"Yes, the plane, what else?" He gave her a lopsided grin.  

"Have you never been on a plane before?" At once, both Bruce and Selina inhaled sharply. Of course, she'd never been a plane. She was an alley cat, a poverty-stricken nobody. A street kid from the Narrows. Her face burned with anger and embarrassment and she turned away from him, hands clasped tight in her lap. She would slap him in his pretty face, but then Alfred would be angry with her. For such a kind man, he could be a nightmare if anyone hurt Bruce. Whether he deserved it or not. She was often

jealous of his relationship with his butler/guardian, wishing she had someone that would literally go to hell and back for her. People only helped her if it convinced them. 

"No, Bruce, I have not been on a plane before." Selina sighed. "And I'm guessing not all of them serve Coke in china glasses and pizza on glass plates."

He snorted and shook his head. She turned and slung her legs into his lap, leaning back. 

"So, what's Switzerland like?" 

"Cold. Beautiful, lots of mountains. Oh," his face lit up, and Selina couldn't help but lean in closer, "and there's a village a couple minutes down the mountain that serves the best Swiss chocolate."

Selina snorted. "I'll take your word for it." She turned to pop her back and let out a pained whimper. Bruce's hands were on her shoulders immediately, pulling her towards him.  The bullet wound that Jeremiah Valaska had given her was healing nicely, but hurt like a bitch. 

"Are you okay?" He asked, eyes concerned. Selina scoffed and pushed him away.

"Fine. What's it to you?" Bruce scowled and looked at her side again. 

"It's my fault," he said softly. She sighed. 

"No, it's not. We've been over this. Say it again, I will slap your pretty face off."

Bruce grinned boyishly. "You think I'm pretty?"

Selina punched him hard in the arm. 

"Hey!" 

"Shut up."

She stood up and stalked to the cockpit. 

"Alfred." she greeted, throwing herself into the co-pilot seat and propping her feet on the plane dash. 

"Miss Kyle, please take your feet off the instrument panel." Selina huffed but placed her feet on the floor. They flew in silence as she looked into the clear gray sky. She wasn't sure she liked flying all too much. She liked the ground. The city. Where there were allies and fire escapes and nooks and crannies and places to hide. She liked to be in control of her environment. With a jolt, Selina realized that her life was entirely in the hands of Alfred Pennyworth, bad-ass butler extraordinaire. Not that she worried. Bruce was here, and no matter how mad Alfred got at her, he wouldn't hurt Bruce. 

 That wouldn't stop him from throwing her out the emergency door. 

"You could have hired someone to fly for you. Why do it yourself?" Selina laughed, "Is it because you don't trust anyone else to fly Bruce?"

"Partly," Alfred admitted, "and because I like flying. Soothing." His experienced hands nudged the toggle gently forward, and she felt the plane surge slightly around her. 

They sat in silence for a long while and Selina excused herself and went back to the seats. Bruce was reading a book. She sat on the seat in front of him and swiveled it around. 

"Whatcha reading? Phycology?" He snorted. 

"Very funny." 

He closed his book and sighed, leaning into his seat. 

"Thank you," she murmured after a minute. 

"Do- do my ears deceive me? Is Selina Kyle saying thank you?"

Selina kicked him as hard as she could in the shin. Bruce yelped and scooted back, laughing. 

 "Nevermind then," she huffed and stood up. Bruce grabbed her arm and pulled her next to him. Much too close for comfort. 

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," he apologized. "Thank you for what?"

Selina threw her arms up and waved around the plane. 

"This." 

Bruce understood what she meant. He always did. 

"You're welcome." 

Selina eventually fell asleep, lulled by the steady hum of the engine. She woke up with Bruce shaking her gently awake. 

"We're here." Selina felt a jolt of excitement. Bruce always went to Switzerland and talked about it a lot, too. It was his safe haven. She felt half-way honored that he'd bring her here. She slung her small duffel bag over her shoulder and watched as Alfred rolled two suitcases in front of them. 

"Those yours?" She asked. Bruce nodded. 

"I thought the boy was supposed to be the light packer," she laughed. He shook his head, looking a bit embarrassed. 

"Shut up." This made Selina laugh a bit more and they exited the plane and got in a bulky black car and drove about ten minutes before they hit Bruce's cabin. Selina sucked in a breath. 

"That is no cabin. That's a wooden mansion."  Bruce shrugged and slid out of the car, holding it open for her. He took her bag from her as she got out. 

"I can-" she started saying, but Bruce was already halfway up the steps. She rolled her eyes and jogged after him. He unlocked the door with a long, slim key and it swung open with a small creak. Bruce's shoes clicked on the dark hardware floor of the foyer as he walked in. 

"Whoa."  

The cabin/mansion was a combination of expensive decor and woodland charm. From the foyer, Selina could see the living area complete with a huge ass flat screen TV and a stone fireplace, leather couches and bearskin rugs on the floor. The twirling staircase had tree branch railings that should have been tacky but weren't. Selina schooled her face into boredom and turned to Bruce, who was watching her. 

"Cool crib." 

 Bruce rolled his eyes. "I'll show you your room." Selina followed him upstairs into a cozy room with thick maroon drapes and soft cream carpet. She jumped on the bed, all her limbs sprawled out. Bruce laughed. 

 "Glad you like it. I'll see you at dinner." Selina grunted an okay and Bruce watched her for a moment longer, eyes soft. She thought for sure he would say something that would make her face turn red when she thought of it later but he left the room without a sound, just a small smile on his face.  

 


	2. Hesitance

 

 

The wind whipped at Selina's face, cold and fresh. It carried the thick smell of soil and fresh water. Not smoke, not the metallic tang of blood. Not Gotham.

She watched the muscles in Bruce's back strain as he hiked in front of her. He'd always been tall, but lately, he filled out, his muscles finally accommodating the wide expanse of him. 

It was distracting.

Selina stopped and took in the view. They were hiking up a mountain with a long complicated name. Bruce had told it to her, not like either of them had expected her to listen. There was no end to the clear sky, to the splendor. The grass was bright green and healthy, not like the sorry excuse for plants they had between sidewalk cracks in Gotham. Velvet-petaled wildflowers grew in clusters all around. Every once and a while Selina would stop and gather some, making a circle of flowers. 

_Ivy would have loved it here._

A lake glinted at the bottom of the mountain. Selina made a mental note to ask Bruce if they could come back and swim. She wasn't sure whether she knew how to swim or not, but she figured it was like riding a bike. Once people learned, they never truly forgot. Selina knew she had learned sometime in her life. 

"Selina!" Bruce called. She hadn't realized that she had stopped for long. 

"Coming!" she yelled back, not taking her eyes off the view. She forced herself away and caught up to Bruce, who was stopped by a clearing. 

"This is it." They walked forward into the clearing, shaded by low hanging trees. Selina heard running water burbling nearby. Alfred was setting something up on the grass in the distance. 

"What is he doing?" she asked. 

"Setting the picnic," Bruce told her. Selina laughed. 

"Picnic?" She was silent for a thoughtful moment. "I've never been on a picnic before. Unless you count eating week old food from the garbage in an alley. Done that plenty of times."

Bruce turned sober, as he did whenever she talked about her life on the streets. He'd learned countless times not to offer her shelter in his home. She refused every time. They both became ashamed. Him, of his wealth. Her, her lack of it. 

Selina felt the slight urge to apologize, but then told herself she had no reason. She had nothing, he had everything. That's just how it was. No need to apologize for something that wasn't anyone's fault.

It never bothered either of them much until they saw each other at parties and they knew she was stealing and he has been invited. Or when she'd get beat up pretty bad and she had the sinking realization that she had no one else to turn to but him. And every time, without complaint, without fail, he was there. Like a steady drumbeat in her mess of a life. 

They had reached the picnic site. 

"Whoa, Alfred," Selina said. "When Bruce said picnic, I thought he meant PB & J's and Lays, not caviar and shit." Alfred looked both amused and offended. 

"This is smoked salmon with maple gaze, Miss Kyle. No caviar today."

"Oh my god," Selina laughed. She folded her legs and sat cat-like next to Bruce, then snatched a plate. After the first bite, Selina moaned and fell on her back. 

"Holy hell, this is incredible." 

"Why thank you, Miss Kyle," Alfred said, looking surprised that Selina had something relatively kind. 

"Two compliments in the expanse of two days," Bruce reached over and laid a hand on her forehead, "Selina, are you sick?"

Selina swatted his hand away with a snarl as Alfred chuckled. 

"So, Alfred," she asked halfway through the meal, "Bruce does crazy stuff all the time. What's the strangest thing you've ever had to do for him?" 

Bruce stopped eating and made eye contact with Alfred. Selina had never thought that Bruce's parent/butler could look mischievous, but now, he looked downright wicked. 

"Well-"

"Alfred don't you dare!" Bruce said. Selina grinned at Alfred encouraged. He continued his story. 

"... and that's when I knew I had to teach Bruce how to properly carry out mouth to mouth." Alfred finished. Bruce's face was flushed crimson and Selina was lying in a cackling heap on the quilt, holding her stomach. 

"Oh," she coughed, "oh my god. That is so funny." She wheezed. Bruce looked angry, but both Selina and Alfred knew that he wasn't truly mad. Just mortified. 

"Alfred, we should get together. Make a club of people have embarrassing stories about Bruce."

" _No,"_ Bruce yelled and turned redder still. 

"Oh Master B, we were only joking." Bruce sighed and carded his hand through his hair. 

"No more stories, Alfred," Bruce pleaded. Alfred chuckles but relented despite Selina's disappointed groan.

"No more." 

 

Back at the cabin, Selina found Bruce by the fire, reading a book. 

"More philosophy?" she asked. Bruce jumped. 

"I didn't hear you come in."

"I know." Selina padded around the couch and sat beside him. Bruce closed the book and laid the book on the coffee table. His eyes were dark, thoughtful. In the firelight, his skin flushed gold and shadows fell on the hollows of his cheeks, making him look older than he was. Dark waves hung in his face. 

Selina, for once in her life, had nothing to say. The way he looked at her. Imploring, teasing, knowingly, like he knew everything about her but was still reaching for more. The atmosphere became chokingly thick. 

"is that my shirt?" he croaked. Selina had found a shirt of his, a long-sleeved black piece that was way too big for her but was soft and smelled like him. It reached almost to her knees and the sleeves went far over her hands. 

"It was yours. It's mine now." She told him matter-of-factly. 

"Alright."

They sat in silence for a long moment longer, drinking each other in. Selina prayed to whatever would listen that her blush wouldn't be too obvious. All her life, she had to be serious, on guard, stone cold. But with him, she could be sixteen. She could be a girl. With him, she felt like the weight of the world had eased up just a bit. She felt a weird sense of solidity and security that no one had ever given her before. 

It was Selina who moved first. She pressed her lips to his, softly, gently, and he reacted. His arms wrapped around her middle and she was tugged into him. Her hands threaded through his hair and she kissed him harder. He held her sure against himself, and with the heat from the fire and the heat from him she felt as if she'd been dipped in a hot bath, warm and pleasant. He kissed her lazily like he had a lifetime of kisses left. Selina purred at the thought of that, and Bruce pulled her impossibly closer. 

They kissed for as long as they could then broke apart to breathe. One arm was still around her waist and the other had found a home in her mess of curls. Selina stared at Bruce for a long while before she began to untangle herself from him. 

"Wait-no, Selina," Bruce said. The girl turned to him, hazel eyes blown wide. 

"You always leave. Just this once-stay." The silence after was long. Selina had always brought herself to the edge of the cliff and never thrown herself off. She had a survivor's heart. And rule number one: watch out for number one. You. But she looked at him and his hair and his sad, sad eyes and it was like a moth to a flame. Selina forced all caution out of her mind and leaned back into him, pressing a sweet kiss on his lips then tucking herself under his chin. 

Bruce's posture melted and he wrapped both arms around her and kissed her curls. 

"Thank you," he murmured. Selina stayed silent, but she knew that her actions would say enough. Bruce spoke with his words, she spoke with her actions. And they understood that about each other. She didn't feel the need to command the room, fill the space, establish that she was not to be messed with. Bruce knew. He always did. 

Tucked into each other like this felt so surreal to both of them. They were safe. No Joker bursting through the windows. No Court of Owls rushing to kill Bruce. Their own small pocket of peace. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so proud of myself for updating this fast. 
> 
> Anyway, I've got a great plan for this fic! My outline has it at 10 chapters, give or take a bonus chapter or something. 
> 
> Special shoutout to angela514 for commenting! Made my day!


	3. Dolls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A decision is made.

 

The mansion was beautiful, in a way. It was obvious that the decrypted house had one day belong to proud, wealthy owners. With a power-wash to the stone exterior and extensive interior design, Selina imagined it would be beautiful once more.

But right now it was haunted. Or so the barista at the cafe this morning had told them.

"Selina, we really should go," Bruce complained. It was two in the morning and Selina and Bruce had snuck out of the house, armed with flashlights and granola bars, to give the haunted mansion a visit. 

"Why?" Selina stalked over to him and laid a hand on his chest, "you aren't scared, are you?" Bruce narrowed his eyes down at her. 

"No! No, of course not. It's just really cold." Selina scoffed and pulled herself swiftly over the gate, landing in a crouch on the other side.

"Sure, B." 

He pulled himself over the gate with less agility than her and they set off down the gravel path. 

"Should we knock?" Selina joked as they arrived at the door. Bruce shrugged and put a fist on the door. Selina smacked his hand down before he could knock. 

"What are you doing?"

"Well, you said-"

"Sarcasm, Bruce. Sarcasm!" Bruce huffed and gave her a grin. 

Selina glanced around and spotted a window that's glass was shattered. 

"There," she whispered, then slipped through the window and into the house soundlessly. Bruce followed with a bit less grace. They surveyed the kitchen. It was like someone had been cooking then suddenly just disappeared. There were rotten vegetables on a cutting board, half-way sliced. Cobwebs coated a pot full of something that could have been soup, but now was a pan full of soiled liquid. 

"Ew," Selina muttered. Bruce nodded in agreement. Suddenly, a crash sounded from the next room. Selina crouched down immediately and shifted her weight to the balls of her feet, ready to leap away at a moments notice. Several other crashes followed the first and a frazzled bird fluttered out of the room. Selina groaned and stood back up.

"You were so scared," Bruce teased. She scowled at the taller boy. 

"I was prepared." she quipped.

They went into the room that the bird had left. 

"Oh my god," Bruce muttered. Life-like mannequins, complete with outfits, wigs, and painted faces, were in the middle of a tea party at the table.

"That's freaky," Selina whispered and inched slightly closer to Bruce. They stared at the family of dolls a while longer. 

"Do you want to go upstairs?"

"Yeah, yeah that sounds good."

They both scurried out of the room and slowly ascended the staircase. A spider fell on Selina's shoulder. She swiped it off the leather of her jacket and it flew into Bruce's face. 

"Hey!"

Selina snorted. 

"Sorry."

Bruce wiped his face off hurriedly and grimaced. He looked up at her and frowned. 

"I really am sorry," Selina insisted, a sugar-sweet grin on her face. Bruce shook his head, smiling. 

"Whatever, Cat. Let's keep going." Selina finished the charge up the stairs. There was an empty playroom with glass doors to the left; some candles and a board game on a table was the only thing in it. 

"Oh, hey, let's play!" Selina said. They walked over to the table and took seats. Selina read the name of the game and gasped in delight. 

"It's an Ouija board!"

Bruce frowned in confusion. 

"You talked to the dead with it."

Bruce shook his head, but he knew that it was useless. Selina had the gleam in her eye that only took place when she was excited about something she shouldn't be-usually illegal. 

Selina looked around and spotted a box of matches on the floor. She snatched them up and returned to the table, making quick work of lighting the candles. She guided the piece to the letter 'G' and looked up at Bruce. 

"Okay, now you put your hand over mine." Bruce raised his eyebrows, grinning. 

"It's part of the game, idiot." Bruce chuckled and slid his hand over Selina's, dwarfing hers. 

"Spirits, if you are here, make yourself known!" Selina called out melodramatically. Bruce scoffed. 

"Seriously, is that needed?"

"It's how you play the game!" 

Suddenly, the room got colder. The noise of the forest outside stopped. Bruce and Selina traded wide-eyed gazes. The game piece under them started to move. 

"Are you doing that?" Bruce asked quickly.

Selina shook her head no, looking mystified. The piece moved to a 'K'. They watched in scared silence as the piece under their hands moved from 'K' to an 'I', then hit 'T' twice. As it was moving towards 'Y', both Bruce and Selina felt a violent shiver down their spines. 

"Kitty," Bruce whispered, looking terrified. He looked behind Selina and jumped up, grabbed Selina's arm and pulled her roughly beside him. 

"Wha-?" Selina saw what he was looking at and let loose a horrified whimper. One of the mannequins from the kitchen was now at the door of the room, perfectly still and serene. The candlelight casts a shadow over it's perfect, plastic face, and the lace on her pastel dress glimmered slightly. The figure's empty blue eyes and painted red smile stared them down. Neither Bruce or Selina dared move a muscle. 

A child's voice echoed across the room, giggling. 

" _Kitty!"_

They both tore for the windows, jumping out and rolling on the ground in unison. They ran halfway home until they were both desperately out of breath. Bruce fell to his knees, panting. 

"Oh, oh my god," he wheezed. Selina coughed and put her hands on her knees. 

"Never again," she panted. He grunted an agreement. Adrenaline was pumping through their veins. 

"I have never believed in ghost until today," Bruce admitted. Selina nodded and stumbled over to him, throwing her arms around his waist and laughing slightly. 

"That was terrifying." Bruce tucked her close to him and buried his face in her hair. She always smelled like incense or some type of spice, dark and sweet. Selina sighed and hooked a hand around the back of his neck, pulling him down to her and kissing him gently. 

"Sorry 'bout that. It was my idea." Bruce's eyes pulled open slowly. 

"What?" he asked, voice raspy. Selina laughed and laced her hand with his, and together, they started the walk home. 

 

\--

"We're not going to tell Alfred about this, right?"

"Oh god no, he'd lose it."

\--

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is anyone else terrified of dolls? I hate them so much. I was even kind of scared writing this chapter lol. 
> 
> But anyway, I hope you all enjoyed! Today was my last final, so I am officially out of school for the summer!!! This means many more chapters will come. Thanks so much to everyone who commented and gave kudos last chapter. It means so much!
> 
> Also, the next chapter is going to be rather lengthy, but full of fluff! So excited to write it!!
> 
> See you all soon!


	4. Healing

 

 

Rain pattered onto the windows like the footsteps of a tiny army, persistent and soothing. Distant thunder rolled in the distance. Selina burrowed further into the thick comforter, inhaling the fresh smell deeply. 

This rain was different than Gotham rain. Gotham rain was ominous. It was the judge and jury. It had soaked Selina to the bone and left her shivering in some ally, praying for the sun, begging dawn to break. 

But now, wrapped in blankets that felt like an embrace, Selina loved the rain. It felt cleansing. It reminded her that even the sky cried sometimes. She grinned despite herself. If someone had told her two years ago that she would be here, in a foreign mansion, enjoying the rain, she would have laughed at them. But now, she felt as if she deserved this. She deserved to be okay. Didn't she?

The door to her room suddenly burst open. Bruce ran in, looking panicked. Selina's stomach dropped and she shot up from the bed. 

"What's wrong?" she asked. Bruce walked closer, wide-eyed. Then a small, bashful grin spread across his face and he ran a hand through his hair. 

"I-uh, I had a nightmare. Of the night you got shot." His voice broke at the end. Selina grinned, too. 

"Bruce, don't tell me you were worried about me." There was no humor in his eyes, only something heavy and thoughtful. 

"I get nightmares a lot," he admitted. "They feel so real, and I thought-" he broke off again. 

Selina considered the young man before her. He was full of something she couldn't put a finger on, maybe a mix between agony and adoration. He stepped closer, then stopped, frowning slightly. 

"Sorry for waking you up-"

"I wasn't asleep," Selina told him. 

They stared at each other, an unspoken question hung in the air like fog.  _Screw it._

Selina scooted over and patted the space beside her. Bruce climbed in with her and she threaded her arms around him and felt his rapid heartbeat. She held his head to in the crook of her neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist. She kissed the top of his head and worked her fingers through his hair when she felt tears on her face. 

Her tears. 

Selina didn't even know why she was crying. A deep ache was in her stomach and she felt like she had to throw up. A sob wracked her body. Bruce looked up and his eyes widened. He pulled her down to him. 

"Are you okay?"

Selina paused and tears streamed out of her eyes and another sob filled her throat. 

"No."

She was not okay. She had been abused and thrown in the dust her entire life. She had fought tooth and nail for everything she had in her life. Selina Kyle was nothing if she wasn't a survivor. 

But if the sky could cry, so could she. 

Bruce pressed a soft kiss to her lips, gentle and protective. He placed two more on her closed eyes, and a final kiss on her forehead. 

"You are so strong," he whispered to her. Thunder cracked close by and he pulled her closer, letting her cry into his shoulder. She could cry. He would hold her until morning and then he would watch her stitch up her scars, one by one. And she didn't need him. Bruce knew that. But the fact that she wanted him was humbling. She wanted him. And he wanted her. Like a simple fact of life. The sun comes up and Bruce Wayne loves Selina Kyle. That's just how life worked. 

Selina eventually stopped crying but the burn of her throat and eyes stayed. She hiccuped slightly and scooted up to face Bruce. Putting both hands on either side of his face, she pulled him in and kissed him. There was something raw in her kiss. Like an exposed nerve. Bruce had never seen her so vulnerable in his life. 

"Thank you," she whispered, voice gravelly. 

He dipped down and kissed her again as an answer. She responded with tired happiness. She smiled against his lips and threaded her hands into his hair, kissing him harder. He had seen her weak and had held her until she was strong once more. There was nothing he wanted in return. She tried to tell him what she couldn't say in words with her kisses, constant and joyful. He flipped her onto her back and they both laughed at the giddy frenzy of this, of being a kid. They were kids, they were teenagers, they were safe. They were tucked away in a small corner of warmth where Gotham's hardships couldn't find them.

They broke the kiss, dizzy and panting. As soon as they had enough breath, they continued. It was such a stark change from anything Selina had done before. Nothing rushed. Nothing forced. They just marveled at being together and that there was a world, a city, that held them both. 

-

Selina woke up with a considerable lack of warmth in her bed. Bruce was gone. She frowned and forced her eyes open, greeting the pale sunrise with a scowl. Bruce walked in with two mugs.

He took in her bloodshot green eyes and curly mess of hair and decided he was going to love her unconditionally for the rest of his life.

He walked over and handed her one. She sniffed it. 

"Hot cocoa," she said, pleased. Selina held the mug close to her and drank deeply. She sighed. 

"Thank you, Bruce."

"Anytime."

They sat in silence and drank, legs tangled with each other. 

"Is Alfred up?" she asked. 

"No," Bruce replied, "I could hear him snoring from the kitchen." 

Selina snorted into her cup. They finished off their drinks and Selina sent Bruce back to his room with a sweet kiss. She splashed her face with water and brushed her teeth, changing into black leggings and a GCPD hoddie she'd knicked off Harvey. It had taken a while to get the whiskey smell out of it, but it was oversized and comfy. She padded downstairs to the smell of onions in a skillet. 

"Smells good," Selina commented as she sat on the barstool next to Bruce. He laced his hand with hers and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles and Alfred and she exchanged witty banter as he was making breakfast. 

Bruce looked fondly at his two favorite people in the world.  _I could get used to this._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, I said it was going to be lengthy but it's below average-sorry! I hope the content makes up for it. 
> 
> More chapters to come soon. Thank you so much for leaving kudos and commenting - your thoughts make my day! 
> 
> x- oversizedmelancholy


	5. Paradox

 

 

Images of chaos, screaming, and fire flickered on the news. Selina, Bruce, and Alfred watched it with heavy hearts. The reporter, dark skin glowing in the light of the burning building behind her, was talking. 

" _This is the seventh affordable living complex built by the late Mr. Falcone to be burned down this month. Gotham's police and fire department are working hard to discover whoever is responsible. Could this be the work of Firefly, known arsonist?"_

Selina flinched. 

The building crumbled and screams broke out. The reporter was seen throwing a coat over her head and running, blocking herself from the spreading ashes and flame. The camera feed flickered, then changed. Another crime scene. At least twenty dead bodies were shoved crudely into a yellow clown car. A dripping red smile was painted on the side, and two eyes were painted on the faces of two bodies hanging out of the window. 

" _The Joker and his disciples strike again! An entire office building was put on lockdown, and by the time police got in, everyone was dead. Half of the bodies are missing; twenty of them showing up in the clown car last night."_

The reporter gestured behind him to the horrific scene with a grimace on his face. 

"Alright, I think that's quite enough," Alfred said, turning the T.V. off. A pregnant silence hung in the room. Selina sighed and carded a hand through her curls. 

"I'll pack."

She left the room, leaving the boy and his butler. 

"Master Bruce, do you think it is wise to go back now?"

Bruce sighed and faced Alfred. 

"What choice do we have? Gotham needs me." 

"Gotham has the GCPD." 

Bruce scowled. 

"We have discussed this before. Gotham needs me, and I left it. I need to go back. With the Joker on the run, especially. He is my responsibility." 

Alfred put his head in his hands, resigned. Bruce's drive for justice both awed and frustrated him. He had watched Bruce grow from a frightened boy to a privileged teenage playboy, and now a determined young man. He was proud and scared of Bruce's newfound calling to help the city. A selfish part of Alfred wanted to lock Bruce up from harm, letting him remain in naive peace for the rest of his life. But he would grow to hate him if Alfred did that, he knew.

And Selina had a knack for sneaking through windows. 

"We should follow Miss Kyle in packing ourselves, then," Alfred said. Bruce stood, a glint of wisdom in his eye that he'd earned from tragedy. 

"Thank you." 

"Anything, Master Bruce." 

-

-

-

They'd been on the plane for hours. Selina was listening to rock music through headphones, her curls bouncing every time she nodded her head to the beat. Her leather was back, on her boots, jacket, and gloves. Bruce fiddled with one of her laces, as her feet were in his lap, per tradition. He reached over and gently pushed the headphones off her head. She frowned but paused the music. 

"Wassup?"

Bruce sighed. "Selina, when we get back-"

"I know."

It was Bruce's turn to frown.

"No, you don't-"

"I do."

An angry pause hung in the air. 

"You're going to tell me that we won't see each other as much when we get back. You're going to tell me to be safe, not take as many risks because the streets are full of loonies now." 

Bruce sighed. 

"Somewhat, yes." 

Selina took her hand in his, hers rough with old callouses and his raw with new ones. 

"Loonies were always in Gotham. They just got the green light to come out of the shadows now." Bruce nodded. 

"You may be right."

"I am right," she scoffed. Bruce grinned and looked at her closely as if memorizing her features for a time when they weren't together. Her freckles, the cunning glint in her green eyes, the bronze hue in her skin from days in the city heat. Her smile, lovely sometimes and maddening other times. Her hands, rough and soft at the time. Like her. Harsh but kind. Half broken but still strong. So, so strong. 

He hadn't realized he'd been leaning in until his lips touched hers. She scooted over to him and kissed him again, filled with words she wouldn't say. Words she didn't have to say. 

Her kiss was thank you. It was hello, goodbye, a promise and a lie at the same time. Something that shouldn't be possible- but neither should she and-

Bruce was suddenly overwhelmed by such emotion that his chest felt extraordinarily heavy and he pulled her closer, closer. His very own paradox. His miracle, in the form of mischevious eyes and a sharp tongue. She nipped his bottom lip and laughed lightly when he pulled back with wide eyes, then stopped laughing when he resumed kissing her with renewed vigor. 

"Bad kitty," he whispered to her lips.

She laughed again and pushed him off, grinning. 

"I'll visit. I always do," Selina told him. He nodded, the euphoria that he felt every time he kissed her waning. 

"I know," he said. "If you need anything, at all..." She smiled that smile again, conspiratorial and pretty at the same time. 

"I know."

-

-

-

It had been three weeks since they had arrived back at Gotham. Bruce held an ice pack to his abdomen, wincing. 

"That was quite a fall, Master Bruce. You're very lucky you didn't break any bones," Alfred chided. 

"Lucius's new suit works as well as he said it would," Bruce said. "Although the cape is a bit much."

Alfred chuckled. "However true that may be, Master Bruce, they have given you a name." Bruce's head snapped up. 

"Really?"

Alfred turned the news on. 

" _Another one of the Joker's schemes was thwarted by Gotham's Batman, our newest rouge. Questions of whether this caped crusader is a menace or a savior are to be seen, but for now, we can thank Batman for saving the transit buses headed for a pit of boiling oil. More to come!"_

Bruce grinned boyishly. 

Batman. 

-

-

-

Selina threw herself onto a club coach, wiping her bleeding lip. 

"Did a number on you, did they?" Tabitha Galavan walked up to the young girl with poise. 

"Yeah," Selina admitted. "I got the package." 

Tabitha's dark eyes sparkled with pride. Selina handed her a large velvet sack. Tabitha peeked inside and gave Selina a rare smile. 

"This changes everything. And," she said,"they gave you a name." 

The flat screen T.V. flickered on, and a video of Selina, clad in a leather bodysuit, pointed mask, and black boots taking down a group of men with lethal grace, guiding a leather whip through the air with practiced precision. 

" _Catwoman strikes again! And this time, at Gotham Central Bank. Don't worry folks, no money was stolen, however. Just a package from a secure vault in storage."_ The reporter gave the camera a conspiratorial look. 

" _A vault that was supposedly Gotham's most secure holding area. The question is this- what can't Catwoman do, and where will this feline thief strike next?"_

Tabitha grinned down at the girl, who was battered but beaming proudly at the screen. 

"You hungry, Catwoman?"

Selina grinned cruelly and took the hand Tabitha offered, letting her hoist her to her feet. 

"Starved."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot belive that this journey is over!! I have loved writing this so much! Thank you so so so so so so so much to everyone who supported me along the way with kudos and encouraging comments. I could have never done this without you!
> 
> And don't fret, more BatCat is to come! I have another fic in the workings, so keep an eye out for that. Subscribe to keep tabs on me and our kids, Bruce and Selina!
> 
> I hope you all loved this fic as much as I did. See you all soon!!
> 
> xx- oversizedmelancholy

**Author's Note:**

> So I just finished season four and REFUSE to believe that Selina won't make it. If anyone has heard something about her being in season five, let me know. Also, when does season five come out anyway? Lemme know in the comments. 
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! I LOVE this couple so much, and I'd always had this vision of Bruce taking Selina to Switzerland with him one day. 
> 
> Another chapter coming soon!


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